New decree introduces nurse prescriptions, but prompts reactions

The decision of Health Minister Makis Voridis to allow nurses to prescribe medication and medical supplies to patients has raised a lot of fierce reactions in the health care sector.

The Greek nursing staff federation PASONOP denounced the initiative, which it claims was taken without any consultation and at the same time accuses the Ministry of “monumental populism”.

Meanwhile, the federation of clinical experts questioned and demanded the withdrawal of the ministerial decision and said in a statement that “non doctors” are now allowed to prescribed medication, when at the same time clinical and laboratory doctors are banned from prescribing medication that is outside of their specialization (such as cardiologists prescribing antidiarrheal medicine).